Freeze Garlic and Peppers

I use a lot of garlic when I cook, but hate peeling and mincing it. I don't like the taste or price of garlic in the jar or dehydrated. There is a produce market near me that sells peeled, whole cloves of garlic dipped in a little water and citric acid (Fruit Fresh). The cloves are nice and big, and they are actually cheaper than buying heads of garlic. I can't always use them before they start to go bad, so I freeze them. I have found that garlic freezes beautifully. Thawed, it is just as good as fresh, but is soft. That works fine for me; I chop it a little, and it breaks down into the food nicely, especially if it is a long-cooking food like soup or stew.

If you aren't lucky enough to have a cheap source for peeled garlic, you can buy heads when they are beautiful and cheap and make it into a project for rainy day. Just peel and freeze. Since you are freezing right after peeling, you won't need the Fruit Fresh.

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To freeze it, I put all the cloves separated on a cookie sheet. I put it in the freezer for several hours or overnight. Then I put the cloves in a freezer bag and pop it back in the freezer. Whenever I need some, I just reach in and take the number of cloves I need. It's nice to save the time and effort when making a meal.

I also freeze peppers, sweet and hot, this way too. I have been doing this for 40 years and never had a problem with it. When peppers are bountiful and cheap, I chop some and slice some and freeze them on cookie sheets, then in bags. All winter I have nice peppers to cook with. Now, they won't be suitable for snacking or salads, but they are very good for cooking. They will cook up quicker than fresh, but still have the good taste of fresh. This is a real money saver, especially if you grow your own.

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Source: My mother started freezing peppers, and I use her method for the garlic.

I've never frozen peppers or garlic, but what a great, time-saving idea.

It's also very economical since you'd be buying this produce when they're most plentiful, and putting them away for future seasonal uses. I thank God every day that I still have so much to learn and am still perfectly capable of learning from smart cooks and gardeners like you Barb.

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom. How nice it is to have friends to share with too.

I just wanted to tell you I cut and cleaned my green peppers,put them on a cookie sheet and froze them like you said. They turned out wonderful.

Before I used to clean and cut them then put in baggies. Not being able to get all the air out caused a lot of freezer burn. Freezing them first on a cookie sheet made a huge difference. I wish I could freeze cucumbers as I love them but they're way to expensive.

I freeze chopped onions and peppers when they are on sale. Never thought about freezing garlic. But I have some ,so will try this. I'll save what I have now and not have to run to the store next time. Thanks! GG Vi

I do this every summer. I also chop peppers, onions and celery and mix these together before I freeze them. Then I pop them into small snack size or sandwich size baggies and the into a gallon size freezer bag. No freezer burn and I get just the right amount I need each time.